Several inches of snow forecast for area

ByStaff reports

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Charleston area and much of West Virginia could see several inches of snow Tuesday.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for many West Virginia counties, including Kanawha, from 1 a.m. Tuesday to 1 a.m. Wednesday. The warning calls for 3 to 5 inches of snow, and single-digit temperatures Tuesday night.

Higher amounts of snow were forecast for many areas of the state farther north, south and east.

Appalachian Power advised customers to avoid using large electric appliances and to turn down their thermostats in preparation for the harsh winter weather.

According to Apco officials, as temperatures drop, the demand for electricity rises, but asking customers to conserve energy will decrease the chances for service interruption.

"Our system is designed to handle customers' electricity demand in both hot and cold temperature extremes," said Phil Wright, vice president of distribution operations for Appalachian Power. "Our engineering staff has reviewed equipment where we could have load problems and is taking action as needed."

The agency recommends using appliances around midday or after 9 p.m. (when electricity demand decreases), placing thermostat settings to their lowest comfortable level and turning off unused lights or appliances. Power outages can be reported to Appalachian Power by calling 1-800-982-4237.